Mitzela village holidays

Mitzela or' Mountzela' as it was known was located on the Pelion peninsula, a village built high in the mountain forest on the side facing the Aegean sea. The inhabitants were seafarers.  During the war of independence against the Turks (1821) it was burnt down and, after a period of wandering between islands such as Skiathos and Skopelos,  its people relocated to the present site of the village on the east side of the Pagasitikos Gulf in 1834 .

The village was renamed Amaliapolis in honour of Queen Amalia, the first Queen of Greece,  who visited in the 1840’s and stayed in the the Hotel which still stands today in front of the house on the sea front.  She and her husband, Otto, appointed an Austrian architect to design the village plan.  The same plan exists today.

Mitzela was a very vibrant Village/city in late 1800 with a population of around 2000.  It was a port and its ships used to sail to many destinations in the Mediterranean sea.

During the War of Independence, Amaliapolis was at the uppermost border of the Greek state. Grizano, and his extended family who were the founders of the village, lived in a house where the villa now stands.  He took part in the armed struggle for the liberation of Greece and rose to become a high ranking officer in the newly formed Greek army.

The village had many ups and downs: the worst came during WW2 and then the civil war(1945), but it managed to revive itself due to its people's will and determination.

The old village site on the far side of Pelion mountain about one and half hours drive away is a beautiful place to go for walking. It’s a forestry protected area, with beautiful beaches and breathtaking views of the Aegean.